Kryptic

Kryptic

Toxic masculinity in a beautiful and terrifying Lovecraftian setting

Withdrawn and inhibited, Kay resembles a hippie in appearance and a ferret in behaviour. She finds herself fascinated by cryptids – creatures whose existence has not been scientifically proven, known by a variety of names: Loch Ness Monster, Jersey Devil, Bigfoot, Chupacabra – all creatures beloved by genre cinema, conspiracy theory supporters and researchers. The protagonist is even more interested in the mysterious disappearance of Barb Valentine, a researcher who vanished into the forest wilderness while seeking the mythical Sooka, an elusive cryptid. Kay is determined to find Barb. What she doesn’t realize, however, is how intertwined her fate is with that of the missing woman. She faces a journey into a surreal, almost Lovecraftian world full of absurdity, where abomination mingles with beauty, and sorrow meets panic and terror. In this reality, monsters don’t need to have big horns and red eyes at all. They can wear jeans, drink litres of beer and scratch their beards so coarse you could strike a match off them.

“Kryptic” is a visual marvel, a film that is simply beautiful even in its most frightening moments. It is also an eminently feminine piece of cinema. In her quest, Kay encounters mostly women who were changed, traumatized, and broken by their encounter with Soka, or freed from the shackles of the society.

Through the forest backwoods, bars drenched in cigarette smoke, American suburbs ruled by toxic masculinity – in the company of Kay, viewers will look deeply into the eyes of primal fear, which has its sources not in folklore, but in dark reality and suppressed sexuality.

Kourtney Roy’s work is one of the most interesting horror films of this year, a piece that has already wowed audiences at the South by Southwest festival. This is hugely thanks to the outstanding performance of the Scottish Chloe Pirrie, who is both insecure and liberated in her dual role. Polish viewers may remember the actress from her equally excellent role in the series “Under the Banner of Heaven” and “Emma,” based on Jane Austen’s novel. In “Kryptic”, she is joined by Jason Deline (“Dead Boy Detectives”) and Jeff Gladstone (“Resident Alien”). Both of them here display toxic masculinity at its nastiest.